Aquarium Salt or not??

Question

I have a 50 gal. acrylic planted aquarium with 12 fish(2 red-eye tetra, 3 other kind of tetra,1 black molly, 1 silver molly, 2 blue mickey mouse platys,2 algea eaters, 1 albino cory catfish) and an african frog..I use a Magnum 350 Pro Canister filter, heater, w/1 18" bubble wand.... What are pros and cons of using aquarium salt? Would you consider it beneficial to the aquariums ecosystem? Can the salt be used if you have plants? Will the salt muck up my filter and my bio-wheels? Does the salt do anything to help make tap water safer for the fish?

Oh my, I apologize for so many questions.. For my fishes sake, I need to know..!.!.! Thanks! Much Appreciated!

Answer 1

Good questions and interesting timing as I have just had a very lively and entertaining debate on this subject.

I advocate the use of salt in freshwater aquariums for several reasons.

1. Osmotic pressure. It provides a chemical very important to osmotic regulation that is otherwise difficult for the fish to obtain.

2. It is used in almost every commercial breeding facility in the US, certainly all of the large breeders and my educated guess would be over 95% of all commercial breeders add salt. So what are the odds your fish are used to salt in the water? Further, salt at levels around 0.1 - 0.5% solution are found in the majority of waters where these fishes evolved and are collected ( the one's that are collected instead of commercially raised) so you can say you are adding what is found in there "native" environment, even if that's a breeders ponds.

3. Disease control. Even at levels as low as 0.25% solution salt will kill or inhibit several parasites and fungi. In addition salt will promote the growth of a significant slime coat on the fish adding further protection from parasites, protozoans and fungii.

4. Salt will in no way damage or inhibit your bacteria cycle at these levels. Period. It will not harm any of your equipment at these low levels however at high concentrations can cause minor etching in acrylic, but that's at levels above what you would typical see even for disease treatment.

The only Con to salt use that I know of is with plants. Some few are rather sensitive to salt and can't take even this low level, but those are fairly few. Most plants have no problem with a 0.25% salt content and most will tolorate a 1% solution with no ill effects.

Many, many benefits scientifically proven and only one proven con, sounds like a winner to me.

MM

Answer 2

The mollies and the frog will do ok w. salt, just a bit. Plants will do ok---they mostly need light and moving water. No on the mucking of filters---but filters will mildly muck the salt. And, no, salt does not make tap water safer or unsafer. The best way to do the tap water thing is to fill a large container with hot water, let it coool for a few hours---this releases the chlorine---and change 10-20% of your aquarium water weekly.
the key to a successful aquarium is NOT the fish---it is the plants. Get as many happy plants as you can, get em rooted and happy, put em by a window if possible, and then find fish that like it there. Mollies are not the hardiest folks around, but I like them---lose the frog. frogs just don't fit in, ever. Have a nice tank---all the best, brianjack_99 former pet store owner

Answer 3

One, I'd get rid of the Chinese algae eaters, if that's what they are - I know this isn't part of what you asked, but these are nasty little fish - as they mature, they will develop a taste for the slime coat of your other fish and possibly kill them.

Now to your questions. Although others will argue with me, I like some salt in the aquarium, IF the inhabitants are tolerant of it. Some fish species are very sensitive to it, as are some plants. Other fish species (livebearers and some cichlids) really seem to benefit from having some in the water.

The reasons for using salt are a few - it's one of the most natural cures (along with temperature elevation) for some diseases and parasites. It also will somewhat protect your fish against noxious chemicals by binding with them.

One reason I like it is because I have a bit of a physiology background - all animals require some salt to perform basic cellular functions. Salt is used in the formation of stomach acids, and in the transport of specific ions across cell membranes. So a little salt is good - it's when there's too much present that there's trouble!

Freshwater fish have chloride cells on their gills to help them take in salt from their surroundings. In saltwater fish, the cells help fish expel extra salt. That way each fish gets the amount they need to maintain the proper salt/water balance. From my experience as an aquarist and background in biology, providing the fish with a little salt lets them use the energy they would have otherwise expended trying to acquire it from a salt-deficient environment to use in fighting disease, growth, and reproduction. It's also good to use to combat stress - overseas shippers put a fairly high amount of salt in the bags with fish while shipping them to combat stress and ammonia poisoning.

The only real cons I'm aware of, are that some species are sensitive (do your research on the species before you buy), you'll have the added cost of the aquarium salt, there's a potential to hurt the fish by putting the salt directly into the tank and it comes in contact with them (mix outside the tank), and there's a potential for some salt deposits around the top of the water.

So, after this bio lecture, I'd have to say your mollies and platies would LOVE it, your tetras, algae eaters, and frog won't be affected, but your plants and cory might be sensitive to higher amounts. It won't affect your biowheel.

Where I work ,we've regularly kept fish (and African dwarf frogs, which I hope is what yours is - clawed frogs will make a meal of your fish as they grow up!) in salt concentrations of 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons up to 1 tsp. per gallon without harm - including your species. This is a step DOWN from shipping concentrations, so allows them to adjust to a home aquarium where they may not get any salt. Many fish stores will add salt to their water - ask at yours when you buy fish. Our tanks use a biowheel filtration system, too.

Whether you decide to use it or not is really up to you. Some people will add it only when they are adding new fish, or when fishing disease/parasites. Some will use it for certain species but not others. Some folks keep it in all the time, some don't use it at all. The plants are really the only concern, not knowing the species and their tolerance to salt.

There was a similar question a few days back - I'll give you a link to that question so you can read the answers there as well.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AivyXqjhlV07JPifE6ilvtPO7BR.?qid=20070313131835AA6SPqg

Well, you wrote a lot of questions - good ones, too - so I hope this answers them for you.

Answer 4

No salt in your tank because of the plants & frog. Tetras & corys are supposed to be a bit sensitive to salt as well. It won't help the tap water, and won't muck up the filter. On my brackish tank, I'll have salt deposits on the lid and around the filter where the water evaporates. Otherwise, there's a debate going on in some forums now about using salt all the time or just for treatment. I'll post a link on the bottom here, kind of in depth though. I only use salt for treatments in my tanks, aside from my brackish tank.

My opinion, watch your algae eaters especially if they're the Chinese version. They have a tendency to get aggressive as they get older, and stop eating algae. I'd also recommend picking up at least 2 more cory cats-same kind as the one you have, they prefer to be in groups of at least 3.

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/salt.shtml

http://www.thepufferforum.com/articles/water/salt.html

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Don't apologize for questions, that's the only way to learn :)

EDIT: Small amounts of salt, like what some recommend using won't kill off the beneficial bacteria. If that was the case, everyone who's used it for treating ich would have mini cycles going on, and it's also recommended to use when cycling a tank. Salt is good when cycling a tank, it helps the gills/respiration on the fish especially in a nitrite spike. For diseases, it helps add electrolytes and such to the fish's body. Kind of like a Gatorade for humans.

Answer 5

Most of these answers are concerning me, since of them think your trying to turn your tank into a brackish or salt water tank. Now let me advise you correct. Most if not all fish tanks should get some salt added to the tank in minimal quantity to be on the safe side I usually do half what manufacturers say I should do and it works wonders. The salt makes your fish produce mucus or the slime on their scales to avoid parasites. Salt just like anything you add excessively will kill plants, bacteria, fish, you name it. When you do a water change most tap water might have a small amount of salt already, you might want to get a water reading from your county or city. Remember salt has been on this planet longer then any creature knew what it was and cures more then it kills.

Answer 6

Based on the experience of many aquarists the use of small amounts of salt won't harm most common fish, and if you don't use salt in a healthy aquarium the fish will continue to live well.

Yes salt can help with certain health issues, but healthy fish don't have health issues. Yes salt will stimulate the growth of the slime coating, but healthy fish can produce this on their own without a problem.

My motto is Keep it Simple. One less thing added to your water is one less thing to manage and one less thing to possibly contribute to problems. All fish really need, as many people can attest, is dechlorinated water and proper care.

Answer 7

Well, salt shouldn't be used as a regular maintenance item. It should only be used for treatment of sicknesses. It can kill plants and it can kill the beneficial bacteria that is in the substrate and filter. The mollies really like living in brackish water, which is a low solution salt water, but not at the expense of the rest of your fish. Mollies can handle the freshwater just fine. No, the salt won't muck up the filter in the sense of making things dirty, if that's what you meant by muck up, but as I said, it will kill the beneficial bacteria that live in the filters. No, the salt doesn't do anything to make tap water safe. It's only function is to encourage the slime coat to grow and to kill bad bacterial, viral and parasite infections.

Answer 8

Fresh water is a lot easier to keep, and is less expensive. It is also just as rewarding! You will need different plants, and you will have to get new fish.

Don't apologize, all part of learning. Enjoy!

Answer 9

What u have r freshwater fish. So salt is not necessary and may actually be bad. Salt is bad for freshwater plants. It will kill them.

Answer 10

salt fo sho